Attempts to reduce the waste being dumped into the Baltic have so far failed to stop the growth of the dead zone, now equivalent to around one and half times the size of Denmark.

CNN: Can oxygen pump breathe life into ocean 'dead zone?'

By adjusting its overall shipments and the volume of each unit (iPad Mini sales are now expected to outpace the full-size model), Apple is sending the message that its original stance toward seven-inch tablets was dead wrong.

FORBES: Apple Reduces 2013 Full Year Orders For iPad